Have you ever wanted to travel to Japan and thought that it’s too expensive?

Have you ever wanted to travel to Japan and thought that it’s too expensive?

By Carole Goldsmith Copyright © 2018 – All rights reserved.

Japan is not expensive, in fact it’s about a third of the price of travelling Australia for accommodation, travel, eating out and lots more.

I have been travelling in Japan for 25 plus years, over 35 trips to do research and write business / travel articles and give lectures.

Preparing for the trip

Before going to Japan, learn a little Japanese language and read about Japanese culture from books and websites. You can also buy some great phrase books for your travels.

This is a great video on Japanese culture done by a Japanese person

I love Japan’s national broadcaster’s NHK’s learn Japanese program. Check it out as you will find learning Japanese an easy task.

10 tips you need to go before flying off to Japan

Here’s some great tips on 10 things you need to know before going to Japan

Getting from Narita (Tokyo) and Kansai (Osaka) International Airports

There are many ways to travel from the airports and I can tell you in my How to travel Japan on a budget course, - the cheapest and fastest way to get yourself to the city.

25 Things to do in Tokyo.

Watch this before you go too, to find out 25 Things to do in Tokyo, as it is very entertaining and informative.

Accommodation

There is a wide range of accommodation for you from hostels, budget to five-star hotels, capsule hotels, internet cafes, regulated Airbnb places to rent, Ryokans, traditional Japanese Inns, some of which are run by Japanese families, or are larger establishments.

Eating out

You can find budget places to eat across Japan from restaurants, mom and pop eateries, to food trucks, markets and convenience stores.  

Japan’s countryside

I love Japan’s countryside and you will love it too, when you venture out of the major cities – In my Japan budget travel course, I can tell you all my favourite off the beaten track places to go and how to get there.

Shiraishi Island is one of my favourite places to travel in Japan – so peaceful and quiet away from the tourist crowded cities. I love this place and here is a short view of Shiraishi Island for you

Transport

Travelling around Japan, you have a wide range of options from buses, trains, planes, ferries, bicycles or even walking Pilgrim routes. I like the highway buses as they are cheap, quiet and very easy to travel on with frequent stops along the way. There are also great travel cards that you can buy to use in most of Japan’s major cities.

Do know how many islands are there in Japan? 

Surprise! There are more than 6,805 islands in Japan including the five main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and Okinawa. Its total surface area covers 378,000 kilometres.

Want to learn more?

I will be providing lots of great tips on how to travel Japan on a budget at my course on December 1 in Elsternwick, near Melbourne, so book in soon and see you there.

Have a great day and keep smiling

Carole Goldsmith

International journalist and Japan budget travel specialist